“I had a nice dinner. I let the evening unfold, flow. I like to sit in a chair with a wine glass. When I woke up, I thought, ‘Why didn’t I go to bed at 11?’ I came back at 3 and went to bed at 5.”

I am a sucker for those old traditional places, and Rome is as good as it gets, particularly when you throw in Italian food.

My game is a lot about footwork. If I move well, I play well.

My family is the thing I miss most on the tour.

I always knew I had something special.

Confidence? Are you kidding me? I mean, please. Look, some players grow up and play like that. I remember losing junior matches. Just being down 5-2 in the third, and they all just start slapping shots.

It is always in my mind still that I can crush anybody. That’s not an issue. But I think that is the same for most athletes. If you don’t believe you can win tournaments anymore, then you can’t do it.

You always want to win. That is why you play tennis, because you love the sport and try to be the best you can at it.

I always had the dream that, once I became No 1 in the world, that if I had a child I hoped I would have it early enough so the child can see me playing.

I have a very strong opinion. I’m absolutely against it. I’m against the challenge system. I’m for the way it is right now. Don’t change that.

I have learnt to be even more patient.

I am thinking more and more about what I want to and can do after my days as an active athlete. Thoughts like family and marriage also cross my mind more and more often.

One or two years ago, I didn’t know who I was on court and I used to swear a lot. But now I’ve learned how to cope and can therefore win 10 matches in a row. I want to be remembered as a good player rather than an idiot on court.

I’m playing great tennis. I’m enjoying the tour, having fun with the fans off the court. I’m loving it now.

I’m proud to be a symbol like the army knife or the mountains.

The nicer the point, the more — the better I feel, the more excited I get. But I never play that my opponent looks stupid. I think that is wrong. I have too much respect for every opponent I play.

What I think I’ve been able to do well over the years is play with pain, play with problems, play in all sorts of conditions.

Come then, put away your sword in its sheath, and let us two go up into my bed so that, lying together in the bed of love, we may then have faith and trust in each other.

Do not go to bed until you have gone over the day three times in your mind. What wrong did I do? What good did I accomplish? What did I forget to do?

Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside – remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.

I don’t remember going to bed, but in the morning, there I was.

I don’t want to be viewed as a womaniser or whatever. I don’t like going crazy crazy, I like having fun but it’s nice to wake up in your own bed, isn’t it?

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

I cannot go to bed tonight without a word to you.

I will defend the importance of bedtime stories to my last gasp.